Released in 1980 just as George Clinton's P-funk empire had reached the brink of its existence, Bootsy protégé Roger Troutman proved himself a worthy successor with Zapp's self-titled debut ...continue...

Building upon the unprecedented success of Zapp's self-titled debut and group leader Roger Troutman's solo debut, The Many Facets of Roger, along with those two album's hit singles -- "More Bounce to ...continue...

Where the first two Zapp albums were nearly flawless with their beginning-to-end knee-deep funk, Zapp III showed slight symptoms of becoming derivative. You are still strained to find any filler here,...continue...

Teddy Pendergrass delighted both R&B and music fans in general when he debuted on a new label with this album in 1984. It was his first album of fresh songs in two years, and Elektra put some muscle b...continue...

Womack & Womack are steeped in the early-'60s style of Cecil's Valentinos and Linda's father, Sam Cooke, but they have updated the style. Nevertheless, this is contemporary soul likely to be embraced ...continue...

When Eddie Levert's two sons, Gerald and Sean, teamed with Marc Gordon to form their own trio, everyone in the R&B community expected great things. They didn't get off to a good start when they record...continue...

Former gospel singer and Side Effect member Miki Howard made a fine debut in 1986 with this album. Her version of "Imagination" showed that she could sing jazzy pop, while she also got a huge R&B and ...continue...

After the temporary collapse of the Time, Morris Day went into the recording studio for his first solo excursion. While the trademarked Minneapolis pop-funk sound still remains at the forefront of eac...continue...

The amazing aspect about bands from Dayton is originality, there's no defining thread or sound to speak of, each group is unique. A short list of Dayton bands include the Ohio Players, Zapp, Lakeside,...continue...

Howard Hewett made a smooth transition from being a member of the trio Shalamar to becoming a bona fide solo artist. His first single to hit the Billboard R&B charts was the romantically enchanting "I...continue...

In 1989, many of the soul and funk bands that emerged in the '70s had either broken up or disappeared from the charts. But Maze featuring Frankie Beverly was not only hanging in there -- it was still ...continue...

Tracks: No Sympathy from the Devil; Me to We; Man Plans God Laughs; Give Peace a Damn; Those Who Know, Know Who; Mine Again; Lost in Space Music; Corplantationopoly; Earthizen; Praise the Loud
Artists:
Public Enemy

The first generation of rockers who grew up in public faced their share of ridicule, a fact that does not escape Chuck D. A keen observer of history who also possesses a sly sense of humor, he raps ov...continue...